National Collage Society 26th Annual Juried Show

©St. Hilaire Nelson
Poised Peacock #1 and Song of Sunrise #2
24x20 collage of hand painted paper on panel

I am thrilled to let you know that I have been notified by the National Collage Society that the jury has selected BOTH of my pieces for the Annual Juried Exhibit! This is exceptional because I have not been accepted into the show for the past two years, and was accepted three years ago.

This year the show will be an online exhibition with an online catalogue. As soon as they get it up and running I will share the links with you.

Jurors include Matthew Kolodjiej, Associate Professor of Art at the Myers School of Art, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio and Ellen Rudolph, MA Art History, Case Western Reserve university, Curator of Exhibitions, Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH


Thank you for sharing in my excitement!

Getting Published

Artwork ©St. Hilaire Nelson / Cock-A-Doodle / 

20x20 / mixed media collage on panel

Thanks to the efforts of Gretchen Bierbaum and the National Collage Society, I have been invited to show my rooster collage from the NCS publication "Collage in All Dimensons" at the Peninsula Art Academy in Peninsula, OH in October.

My Story on Growing Bolder

Visit Growing Bolder for more inspirational and positive stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things!

Portable Art for Small Spaces

On my trip up to New England, I worked on my "Think Pink" flamingo series for the Grand Bohemian Gallery in St. Augustine, FL. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and they wanted to add some pink to their gallery walls. I figured what better in FL than our favorite bird?

I packed my usual tote bag (carry on size, fits under the seat) with gallon zip lock bags of collage paper divided by color (squeeze the air out before you zip, to save space). I brought one #8 filbert brush, four 6x6 pre-painted cradled birch panels (images of flamingoes with splattered backgrounds) and I emptied my kids old finger paint plastic jars out (less than 3 oz each, this is crucial when flying) and funneled gloss gel medium into them with tinfoil. I then put the small jars of glue into a zip top quart sized bag, as required by TSA.

One thing I would have done differently would be NOT to have taken a long handled brush, that proved a little challenging for the tight space. I recommend you invest in a short handled #8 filbert when working in tight spaces such as coach class airline seats! The seat back tray table proved to be very helpful, as did the air sickness bag for all scraps and trash. I asked the hostess for two cups of water, one for my brush and one for drinking, which they totally do not mind giving. I would recommend bringing your own couple of sheets of VIVA paper towel for drying your brush, the cocktail napkins were not very good quality and fell apart when wet.

I created two 6x6 collages on the way up, and two on the way back. (two hours flying time each way) I have to varnish them here in the studio. Even acrylic varnish is flammable and this liquid would not pass security. It's no big deal to save varnish for home.

My New England Trip

This weekend I went to visit my family in New England. What fun I had taking iPhone photos of cows, goats, pumpkins, old gas pumps, tobacco barns, and agricultural scenery! My sister is part of a CSA (community supported agriculture) in MA through Bloody Brook Farm in South Deerfield.

I took tons of photos of their cows because they were so darn cute! We went to pickup her farm share there on Saturday. Since my trip to the farm country of Western Massachusetts, I now have a bunch of new photos reference for my ongoing images of New England.

Find Bloody Brook Farm on Facebook here

Bolder Media Group

©Doug Nelson Photography

This morning I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Marc Middleton and Bill Shafer of Bolder Media Group when they came to my house to interview me for a web and public broadcasting TV based human interest story!

Marc Middleton was interested in talking to me about my triathlon experience, and my current training for the October Walt Disney Inaugural Wine and Dine Half Marathon in addition to my current solo exhibition at the Maitland Art Center, Exquisite Harmony.

The team filmed me sending Emilie and Connor off to school, running with my husband, here in my art studio and graphic design office, and down at the Maitland Art Center with my artwork. We had fun joking and talking about living life to the fullest through a variety of experiences and interests.

Growing Bolder is a team of good friends and Emmy Award-Winning TV and radio people who like to tell stories or ordinary people doing extraordinary things. A positive spin on reporting, for a change! I remember Marc Middleton and Bill Shafer on TV here in Orlando, they were on Channel 2 for years and years.

The Growing Bolder TV Show will eventually feature my story, it's available on public television stations across America! Find their Facebook page here

The Growing Bolder Web Channel will feature the video story and I'll be sure to give you a link when it's up and running!

The Marc Middleton Blog talks about the reasons why he left his corporate TV career to pursue his goal of giving a voice to people who are out there enjoying their lives, pursuing their passions, chasing their dreams. Positive stories about positive people!

The folks from Bolder are doing great things, check them out!

Amelia Island Workshop

Don't forget to register for the Amelia Island collage workshop! They may still honor the $25 discount if you register this week. I'd hate for this class not to run because we don't make our student minimum, so if you know anyone who might be interested, would you send them my way?